1. Field
The disclosed embodiments relate to a section of a fuselage for an aircraft and an aircraft including such a section.
2. Brief Description of the Related Developments
It is known that commercial planes include a typically pseudo-cylindrical fuselage reinforced by stiffening elements such as stringers and frames so as to resist the mechanical constraints which are exerted in flight for example.
In commercial aircrafts for example, openings are provided in the side walls of the fuselage to receive windows and makes it possible for the passengers to directly see the environment outside the fuselage.
However, these windows generate many drawbacks. First, a window on an airplane must provide a heat and sound insulation of the internal space of the fuselage from the outside in order to provide some comfort to the passengers. It must also be air and water tight.
The frame of the window which is typically riveted to the skin of the fuselage must also resist the mechanical constraints such as the loads resulting from the flexion of the fuselage and the pressurization which is applied to the window.
The window must then have the aero-dynamical profile of the aircraft.
All these constraints led the manufacturers to a specific stiffening of the window area.
FIG. 1 is a partial view of a section of the fuselage of an aircraft of the prior art. This section includes windows 1 which are regularly spaced while being aligned along a longitudinal axis 2 of the fuselage section. It also includes frames 3, also called torques, which make it possible to mechanically reinforce the section of the fuselage and to give the side the shape thereof. The frame pitch which means the distance separating two successive pitches 3 is greater than the width of the windows 1.
FIG. 2 schematically shows the mechanical constraints which these windows 1 can be submitted to.
The mechanical constraints are of two types. These are generally shearing forces 4 connected to the flexion of the fuselage and pressurization forces 5 which transversally act and longitudinally act with respect to the fuselage section.
All these constraints led the manufacturers to a specific stiffening of the window area 1 with over-thicknesses of the fuselage wall at the opening of the window 1 and a frame to guarantee the mechanical resistance of the window.
The assembling of the windows 1 in the openings of the side walls of the fuselage section is carried out using mechanical fasteners.
However, this assembling means a task which is difficult to the operators and time consuming. This assembling is thus expensive as regards the detention of the plane in case of maintenance.
In addition, these specific reinforcements of the fuselage wall also mean an additional weight which has a negative effect on the plane consumption of kerosene.
Thus, there exists a need for reducing the specific mass of the aircraft fuselage while providing the mechanical behavior of the wall of the fuselage at the level of the aircraft, in the vicinity of windows.